Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Snow, Snow!

I don't remember when I've seen this much snow coming so close together in North Carolina. We do have the occasional "deep" snows, or what we consider deep in the South. That mostly means that when you walk in it, the snow comes up to your ankles. I'm not a huge fan of the stuff myself, except in viewing pictures of snowflakes as seen under microscopes or on Christmas cards. My dog, a maltipoo, has enjoyed it somewhat, romping around in the soft piles. The fun ends when I have to coax him into a towel to rub off the chunks of snow clinging to his fur and then spend fifteen minutes drying him with a hair dryer. My brother-in-law in Chicago told Henry that they can certainly relate - three times fold with their three Shitzu's and also reminded him that they do this ALL WINTER. I guess I should stop complaining.

The first snow postponed my Zentangle® class at the Wayne County Arts Council, but we rescheduled and five out of the six original signed students came. It was fun, but I was a little nervous at the same time. The Arts Council had been asked by the local newspaper, the News Argus, to be allowed to come to the class to take pictures and interview me. They did come and took a ton of pictures. I was interviewed later by Becky Barclay, who writes for the Family/Lifestyle pages. The article comes out this Sunday, so I'll be sure to post the article. My students were very gracious to have their time with me shared for this.

I did manage to get my Zentangle apron finished using my Fabrico black and gray markers as well as some Tulip colored fabric pens. Since I was taking some of Sandy Steen Bartholomew's products, I decided to use several of her tangles. I love her whimsical style and her tangles cards and books are so easy to follow. It came together just in time for class. I've also finally tangled the small muslin bag I received at seminar with Rick and Maria. For now, I'm leaving it black and white. Tangling on fabric was a very different experience, but I loved it. The Tulip markers were not my favorite to use. They're a little on the dry side, but they do come in a lot of really bright colors and they didn't run at all. Fabrico pens tend to be a little more moist and I have to watch to not overdo. The gray pen is fabulous to use for shading, not only on fabric, but also on paper.

Right now, there are no classes scheduled, but life seems to be frozen, literally, here for a few more days. No one seems to want to plan anything in advance due to weather, but I do hope to do another class with the Arts Council for adults as well as one for children. We haven't met for clubs at school for a while because of testing and now WEATHER, so I haven't been able to meet with my Zentangle Club members since November. I see some of my students tangling in class when they have free time. In the meantime, Henry and I are hunkered down here at the house with the dog and cats. More time for tangling!

For those of you also experiencing this crazy weather, be safe and warm!